Football Recap: East Pennsboro Comes Up Short

East Pennsboro and Middletown pushed the score to 42-17 the last time they played Middletown, but on Friday defenses reigned supreme. The Panthers took a 14-10 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Blue Raiders. The Panthers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Blue Raiders apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in October of 2024.

Despite the loss, East Pennsboro still got an impressive performance from Kolton Keys, who picked up 46 receiving yards and one TD, and also rushed for 38 yards.

Middletown's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Harrison Ortiz, who threw for 201 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 17 passes. Ortiz's passing game has become a key predictor of the Blue Raiders' success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 2-3 otherwise. Luis Roman handled things on the ground, rushing for 96 yards.

East Pennsboro is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-4. As for Middletown, the win snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 4-4 record.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. East Pennsboro will square off against James Buchanan at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Middletown, they will be playing at home against Big Spring at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Blue Raiders' defense better be ready for this one: the Bulldogs have averaged an impressive 28.4 points per game this season.